Feeder for carding-machines.



' UNITED STATES lAlEN T Oliililfll( lli).

FEEDER` FOR CARDING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed December 3, w65. Serial No. 290,786,

To all whom. it may concern'.-

Be it known that I, J uns STEWART, a citizen of the VUnited States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeders for Uerding- Machincs; and I -do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

My invention relates to improvements in feeders for carding machines; and its object is to provide im' proved means for stopping and starting the feeding mechanism, and dumping the weighing mechanism of such machines; to simplify the construction and to provide the device with various new and useful features hereinafter more fully described ,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention consists essentially of the combination and arrangement of the means for disconnecting the mechanism that operates the feeding apron and coacting parts, from the driving shaft when the required amount of material has been deposited in the weighing mechanism; mechanism for automatically discharging the contents of the weighing device and restoring the connection between the driving shaft and the feeding means and in the various features, combinations and arrangement of parte, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1. is an end elevation of a feeder for carding machines having my device attached thereto; Fig. 2. an enlarged plan view' of a portion of my improved device; Fig. 3. an elevation of s part oi the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and, Fig. 4. a. vertical section of the same on the line 4-4 of Figs* 2 and 3.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents the main driving shaft; 2 is a gear which drives (through an idler 3 and a gear 4) the shaft 5 which operates the apron and feeding mechanism of the machine, which latter are of the usual construction, and do not require to be further shown.

6 is a spring surrounding the shaft I and between s. collar 6 fixed on the shaft and a sleeve 7, which sleeve is both rotative and longitudinally movable on the shaft, and on which sleeve the gear 2 is fixed and driven thereby. 8 is a cam wheel also fixed on the sleeve to drive the same, and longitudinally movable therewith. 9 is a corresponding cam wheel freely rotative on the shaft 1 but not longitudinally movable thereon. These wheels 8 and 9 are spaced apart and therebetween is a driving wheel 11 keyed to the shaft l and rotative therewith. 0n the wheels 8 and 9 are opposing face cams 10 having opposing surfaces inclined to the axis of the wheels which cams when rotated relatively move the wheels 2 and 8 toward the end of the shaft compressing the spring 6 and releasing the clutch for connecting the wheel 8 to the wheel 11, which clutch preierably consists of a stud 12 ou the wheel l) und n stud 13 on the wheel 8, which latter stud is in the path of the stud l2 when the 'coms are out of engagement, and removed from seid path when thc wheels 8 :md 9 are forced apart by engagement of the cams. The wheel 9 bciuglfroely rotative on the shalt, thecams will not act unless. the wheel il is hold from rotation, For this purpose o. projection 14 on the rim of the wheel 9 is engaged by. a shoulder l5 on a pivotod lover 16, which lever is held out of the path of the projection 14 by means of a hook 17 pvotally supported upon nn arm 18 and normally engaging ,the ond of the lever 1G. A rod 19 is pivotally connected to the weighing receptacle 42 and the hook 17, so that whenever the recepta cle is caused to descend by the weight of its contents the hook releases the lever 1G. When so released, the lever drops and brings the shoulder 15A in the path of the projection M and stops the rotation of tho wheel 9. The cam on this `vvheel engaging the cani on the wheel 8, rnovcs the latter longitudinally of the shaft, releasing the clutch es heretofore described, and thus stops the action of the feeding mechanism until the lei-'or is again raised to release the wheel 9. When so released, the weight of the cam l0, the friction of the shaft and the inclined surfaces of the cams actuated by tho spring turns the wheel 9 forward and the spring (i slides the sleeve on the shaft thus rcngogng the clutch which again restores the operation of the feeding mechanism.

To raise the lover 16, it isprolongc'd oppositely from its pivot and provided uy'ih o ceux surface 2l on the end opposite that engjlfd by the Hook 17, which sur- :face is engaged by a ro 23 carried on) wheel 22, which roll periodically en gages said-11nd, ,o and raises the lever 1G to rengo. e the itself?, therewith. 'This wheel 22 is providedwith ineens 31* rotating it, preferably consisting of a ssee-lret ,fliccl 25 attached thereto and operated by a chain'fi, which chain may be connected as preferred innfsprocltct wheel on any constantly rotating part of the machine.

To discharge the contents oi the receptacle 42, it is provided with sides 28 converging to o. line at their lower edges, spaced apart et their upper edges, and pivotally supported on rock shafts 29, which shafts are connected to each other by a slotted lover 30 fixed on one shaft and an oppositely prolonged lover 3l fixed on the other shaft and provided with a pin 32 projecting through said slot and outward therefrom a suli'icient distance to be engaged by an arm 33 mounted on a bell crank lever 27 and adjusted by a bolt 40 to properly engage the pin 32 when the downwardly projecting arm of the bell crank lever is engaged and moved by means of a roll 24 mounted on the wheel 22. These sides 28 are normally held closed by means of s weight 38 suspended from the end of the lever 37. The receptacle 42 is pivotslly supported on arms 34 at its respective ends (one being shown iu Fig. 1.) and counterbalanced on pivots 36 by weights 35 adjustable on the arms 34 to determine the quantity oi material that must accumulate in the receptacle to cause the same to descend and release the hook 17, and thus stop the further discharge of material into the receptacle. A pawl 20 is provided to engage ratchet teeth in the wheel 8 and thus prevent the'apron from running backward when disconnected from the driving shalt and also to prevent back lash in the gears when the cams engage. A stop 41 limits the descent of the receptacle 42. The wheel 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow thereon and makes one revolution to each-cycle of the operation of the machine and its speed is so adjusted that the receptacle 42 will descend and stop the'ieed before the wheel revolves a sufficient distance to operate the bell crank 27 and discharge the contents thereof.

1. In a feeder for carding machines, in combination with weighing mechanism a driving shaft, a clutch member fixed on the shaft, a cam wheel at each side of the clutch member and having 'opposing cam surfaces adapted to force said wheels apart, one wheel being rotative on the shaft,

and the other wheel being both rotative and longitudinally movable on the shaft, a spring on the shaft to move the last named wheel toward the other wheels, a gear attached to said last named wheel and movable` therewith, and means for temporarily holding the host named com wheel, said means being' operated by the Weighing mechanism.

2. In a feeder for carding machines, in combination with weighing mechanism, a driving shaft, a gear, both rotative and longitudinally' movable on the shaft, a spring to slide the geur on the shaft, u cum wheel attached to the geur and movable therewith, a pawl engaging teeth in the cam wheel, nv clutch to connect the cum wheel directly with the driving shaft, n second cam wheel freely rotative on the driving shaft, a pivoted lever out of engagement with the wheel having a shoulder to engage a projection on the second cum wheel, a hook to engage and hold the lever, a rod connecting the hook with the weighing mechanism, and a wheel having a projection engaging the lever to reengage the hook with the same.

3. In a feeder for cardlng machines, in combination with weighing mechanism, a driving shaft, a clutch connecting the shaft with gearing to operate the feeding mechanism, a freely rotative cam wheel to disengage the clutch, a pivotedl lever having a shoulderto engage a projection on the cam wheel and hold the same, a hook to engage and hold the level', u rod connecting the hook and the weighing mechanism to release the hook,'a rotating wheel having :l roll to engage the lever and regage the hook, a bell crank lever adapted to discharge the contents of the weighing mechanism, and a second roll on said rotating wheel to engage and operate the bell crank lever.

ln testimony whereof l ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses,

Ln'rnnn V. MoUL'roN, GnolcGrANA CHAcn. 

